This five-year programme of activities aims to help stimulate growth in Dorset’s low carbon economy and reduce the county’s carbon footprint.  Funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the project is hosted by the council and supports businesses, community, and public sector organisations. The aim is to help improve organisations’ energy efficiency, increase the use of renewable energy, and aid the development of new low carbon products.

The council provides free technical advice to support organisations to deliver carbon reduction projects and, until recently, grants were available to cover 40% of project costs. Work is underway to secure funding to continue the programme when the current EU funding dries up. The programme is the first of its kind in Dorset, working across two unitary authority areas, covering both the urban and rural county.

This programme may be unique in creating in-house energy expertise via technical officer roles, rather than using funds to buy in energy audit consultancy services, resulting in the council being able to be respond to client needs.  Technical officers support clients from the initial stages of understanding their energy demand, through to completing the installation of their low-carbon measures. This has enabled the council’s knowledge of ‘what really works’ for organisations to grow and adapt how support is provided in future.

Building this knowledge has also enabled the council to share tried and tested tips, by creating sector-specific guidance and case studies. These resources provide other organisations with an insight into the benefits and challenges involved in delivering a low carbon project. The organisations supported are often the most powerful advocates to encourage others to get started on their low carbon journey. Due to the strong relationships they build with technical officers, the council is able to amplify their voices through its communications channels and create peer-to-peer learning opportunities with organisations looking to implement similar projects.

The grant fund has specific innovation criteria for public sector organisations, encouraging innovative, whole-building approaches to reduce energy consumption. The council has supported small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to develop, test and market new low carbon products, or introduce innovative energy-saving processes to their businesses.

The benefits

The headline outputs for our grant funded projects are:

Carbon emissions reduced by over 10,000 tonnes CO₂ equivalent per year

More than 1,000,000 kWh per year reduction in energy use in public buildings

13 megawatts of renewable energy installed  

64 rented homes with energy efficiency improvements and renewable energy installations

Seven SMEs developing and testing low carbon innovations.

The programme has also:

Helped SMEs remain viable and protected community spaces through tough economic conditions

Enabled public sector organisations to lead by example and inspire local climate action

Shown low-carbon measures can be installed at sites subject to planning constraints

Helped stimulate growth in Dorset’s low carbon economy

In total, 195 completed projects, plus 16 contracted projects due to complete by the end of January 2023, have received a total of £6.2 million grants. Combined with match funding, this has contributed over £17 million to Dorset’s low carbon economy.  The council has contributed approximately £95,000 towards running costs and internal costs for hosting the project.   In addition to carbon savings, grant supported projects also create financial savings. For example, Dorset Council’s Greenspace Team is estimated to save £5,000 -£10,000 a year thanks to its low carbon project.

The Canopy Project is an urban forestry initiative which aims to increase tree canopy cover in Cambridge by 2% by the 2050s.

The project seeks to build climate resilience – both adapting to climate change and mitigating against it, for instance by tackling urban heat stress and through soaking up storm water.

The work, part of the Interreg 2 Seas Programme ‘Nature Smart Cities’ project, contributes to the sustainable management of Cambridge’s urban forest, complementing and enhancing current arboriculture practices through urban forestry approaches to tree planting, management and protection, and public engagement.

The benefits

The project’s activities have delivered a range of tangible outcomes in the form of approximately 2,660 new trees planted across the city’s streets and open spaces since 2019 – exceeding the project’s initial planting target (2,000 trees). Some of these were realised through additional fundraising exercises and processes made possible by the project. The remaining 200 trees funded through the Nature Smart Cities project will be planted during the 2022-2023 planting season.

Additionally, 1,090 trees have been gifted to private landowners. Further tree giveaways were carried out during 2022, through the Free Trees for Babies scheme and the Neighbourhood Canopy Campaign.

Communication, outreach, awareness raising, and engagement activities carried out through the project have increased understanding among the people of Cambridge about the importance of trees and the urban forest, the role these play in combatting the impacts of climate change, and how they can get involved too, helping to build greater climate resilience and community cohesion.

The project

The council has partnered with Green Business UK to give eligible businesses the opportunity to become internationally recognised by achieving the ‘Green Tourism Standard’. This is a fully funded opportunity for one year which enables businesses in the district to work towards this coveted status.

Having spent a lot of time supporting local businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic building a wider business support offer, the council was keen to support tourism and leisure businesses with rising costs, having been significantly affected by restrictions.  The council’s efforts will help contribute to West Lancashire becoming a Green Tourism destination. This additional funding therefore opens up the opportunity where businesses could not have otherwise afforded to access it. The programme will support businesses to reduce their costs and achieve carbon neutrality, and will also assist them to:

• Save money by reducing their energy and water use.
• Demonstrate their commitment to sustainability, following their assessment and accreditation to the Green Tourism Standard and achieve the bronze, silver, or gold status.
• Promote their green business to visitors and to help make West Lancashire a destination in sustainable tourism.

Green Business UK will offer successful businesses discounted fees in years two and three, to continue their green journey and to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability.  To compliment the programme, the council is currently developing a Green Business Grant, and businesses who successfully achieve an accreditation will be invited to apply. The grant will help businesses implement their new greener ways of working.

The benefits

In the short time the programme has been available to local businesses, 11 have signed up to date, with more local businesses expressing an interest. These businesses range from independent retailers, a micro glamping business, independent hoteliers, and the council’s two largest tourism attractions: Farmer Teds Adventure Farm, and Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust Martin Mere site.

Edge Hill University have also signed up across two areas of their campus, to include their conferencing facilities and sports centre, and are using the programme as a live project for students, to educate the next generation of business and environmental entrepreneurs!

Delivering this scheme has enabled the council to strengthen relations with its businesses, by helping to educate and prepare them to be more sustainable and environmentally aware within their own business.  Positive outcomes see businesses working more with local suppliers to deliver services and not over stocking goods to reduce wastage.

A quote from one participating business owner, Derry from Secret Garden Glamping said, “By joining the Green Tourism programme, it has enabled me to look at where I can action small changes to make a bigger impact on the environment as well as save costs to my business, it’s a great initiative led by the council!”.

The project

Stroud District Council was the first local authority in Europe to become carbon neutral. As part of its commitment to making Stroud a carbon neutral district by 2030, the council is working with strategic partners from across Gloucestershire to lead retrofit action for the county. The Gloucestershire Climate Leadership Group includes all local authorities, the local enterprise partnership (LEP), the local nature partnership and the NHS.

This has built on the council’s extensive experience working with the third sector to deliver award winning affordable warmth projects. Each of these projects are led by different service areas and works to convene a new set of countywide partners. Newer projects have opened-up evolving partnerships working to deliver public and social housing decarbonisation within the district.

In order to meet the strategic challenges posed by the retrofit agenda, the council has brought together officers working across service areas to deliver effective practical support for retrofit. This allows the sharing of expertise to tackle strategic issues like the supply chain, skills deficiencies, energy infrastructure and stimulating a local retrofit economy.

The partnerships developed as part of this have county-wide support and officers in each workstream are working to secure national level buy-in to the project. These different projects are targeted to attract different beneficiaries:

• The Warm and Well project supports vulnerable consumers
• Social Housing Decarbonisation Funds Wave 1 & Pilot improves tenant homes
• Innovate to Renovate is building retrofit advisory services to support private households
• One Public Estate (zero carbon project) is a viability project for rationalising and improving the efficiency of the public estate with stakeholders including Stroud Town Council, Gloucestershire County Council and fire and rescue services.

The benefits

This has provided real benefits to strategic partners through knowledge, which has in turn allowed these partners to redirect their own resources and action. For example, the LEP – leading on economy and skills – has said that this has allowed them to identify a focal point for efforts and developing a deeper understanding of the issues.

The council has also worked in close partnership with South Gloucestershire and Stroud College to secure £450,000 from pooled business rates funding, to set up the Berkeley Low Carbon Training Centre. This will be established in 2023 to train 750 installers and 200 design professionals in essential retrofit and related low carbon skills.

This has also provided parity datasets for Innovate to Renovate partners for insights to the housing stock. A website, knowledge hub and branding is also in development for the private sector.

Ongoing achievements in securing and delivering grants and support to affordable warmth customers and developing new projects such as the Low Carbon Communities (private households) work to be delivered under UKSPF.

The project

The council has produced Town Centre Investment Prospectuses for three towns in the district (Droitwich Spa, Evesham and Pershore). The purpose of each prospectus is to generate future investment into each of the towns and ensure the right type, scale and diversity of development comes forward over the next 20 years.  The objective is to secure both private and public sector investment to help bring forward identified key town centre development opportunities.  It is critical that this pays due regard to the uniqueness of each town and their individual strengths and challenges.

Each investment prospectus identifies primary opportunity or change zone sites as well as ‘softer’, non-development-specific opportunities for intervention.  Deliverability of these opportunity sites is also considered and reflected upon. There is a sliding scale or range of interventions that the council can make dependent on its appetite for change and risk.

Engaging with key stakeholders was an important, if challenging, part of developing the Investment Prospectuses. The council chose to use the opportunity presented by the COVID-19 lockdown to consider the prospects of its town centres. Engagement across the three towns was undertaken virtually. This was the first time the council had used video conferencing technology on this scale to consult on such a complex project. Although initially challenging, it was able to effectively engage with public, private and voluntary sector stakeholders through virtual workshops.

The timing meant that the prospectuses were ready to be launched as lockdown constraints were lifted, enabling the council to crack on with delivering the agreed objectives. A video explaining the project can be viewed here.

The benefits

Town Centre Investment Boards have been created for each town centre to be “enablers”, to do the following:

Identify opportunities/needs.

Consult with vested interests.

Oversee the initiating of projects to the point where the following are secured: Funding, a deliverer and a sustainable operation/investment programme.

Monitor delivery and make interventions if required/allowed.

Bring about the measurement of performance/value for vested interests.

To be able to execute the above roles, the Boards identify:

Needs/opportunities

Projects to meet needs/opportunities

Deliverers

Funders/investors

Method of monitoring/evaluation

This is achieved with considerable support from Wychavon District Council which has appointed a dedicated Place Projects Officer for each town centre lead by a Place Boards Manager.

The role of this team is to ensure the Place Boards do not become a talking shop discussing trivial matters that are not transformational or high impact. Their objective is to maintain focus on key projects and ensure the skills/assets of the members are fully utilised.

The council has allocated significant financial resources, including UK Shared Prosperity Funds to support the delivery of projects.  The Evesham Prospectus informed the submission of a £20 million Levelling Up Fund application in support of a £100 million investment proposal to redevelop the town’s failing shopping centre into a mixed residential and leisure scheme.

Each centre has its own transformational opportunities including the redevelopment of a defunct shopping centre, the construction of a new marina and the expansion of a regional Lido.  Each Town Board comprises of partners from each tier of local government, local businesses, strategic investors and stakeholders representing the respective Civic Societies, Transition Groups and key associations relevant to each Town Centre.

The project

Aspiration, youth opportunity / exodus and resulting low qualification rates have all long been highlighted as a key obstacle to economic and social growth in the northern Devon region, causing Catch-22 spirals of low-quality employment and low salaries which then feed into ongoing deprivation.  Only proactive, skills focused projects which are appealing to inward investment from the private sector will be able to break this cycle.  Which is where the potential economic benefit of floating offshore wind comes into play.  The Crown Estate’s proposed initial four gigawatt of leases, stand to deliver in waters surrounded by some of the most deprived communities in Cornwall, South Wales and northern Devon, Torridge in particular.

The “blue economy” has long supported these places but it is often low-quality and seasonal, through fishing and tourism, and unattractive to many higher ability, aspirational young people, who are again pushed to leave to achieve their own goals.  This is where the concept of the Appledore Clean Maritime Innovation Centre was developed into a project that has been awarded £15.6 million of government funding.

Expected to open in 2025, the centre will feature cutting-edge research and industry partnerships from the Centre for Future Clean Mobility (CFCM, University of Exeter) and the University of Plymouth.  Flexibly designed innovation workshops and offices enable businesses to undertake sector-leading research and development in a collaborative, engaging atmosphere. Interest has been high.  CFCM’s global-leading research into clean maritime propulsion will support the re-positioning of Appledore as a centre of excellence for clean-propulsion shipbuilding as the movement away from diesel intensifies over the next few years.

The project will also capitalise on the Crown Estate’s plans to develop floating offshore wind energy generation in the Celtic Sea, enough to power around three million homes.  The Innovation Centre’s waterfront location next to the Harland & Wolff shipyard will create a unique mix of research, education, commercialisation and business development opportunities.

Alongside this and following the recent installation of northern Devon’s first seaweed farm, there has been significant interest to support the growing local seaweed sector- an industry predicted to be worth around €9 billion annually by 2030 across Europe. This includes the development of seaweed biproducts such as plastic replacements and pharmaceuticals, efforts which the University of Plymouth is ready to support.

A key role of the centre is to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers, with dedicated space set aside for education and engagement activities.  Working together with the two university research partners, Petroc College and staff within its university centre, will be driving a pipeline of courses to develop skills locally for roles in clean maritime, environmental management and preparing for the future green hydrogen deployment.  Local educational initiatives will work in tandem with regional partners under the banner of the South West Institute of Technology (SWIoT).

Project development has been undertaken in partnership.  Devon County Council funded the initial project feasibility.  A successful collaboration with North Devon UNESCO Biosphere took place as part of the Community Renewal Fund.  The project was successful in the second round of the Levelling Up Fund.  It is receiving frequent enquiries about how and when businesses can get involved.

Partnerships on a variety of levels are being adopted to solve collective issues.  For example, previously non-existent partnerships with universities and government agencies have developed to support the Levelling Up agenda.  Also partnership with the private sector to deliver on genuine challenges facing industry.  From concept through to design there has been a shared perspective making sure the work can flex and continue to deliver for the ever-growing global clean maritime needs.  Yet it is also the nature of design which is innovative – utilising a range of renewable energy approaches to ensure future-proofing of provision.

The benefits

So far, the project has generated a lot of hope and is putting Appledore back on the maritime map. The potential for the centre has proved energising when engaging with schools and businesses.  Investment enquiries into the wider economy have been stimulated, from green hydrogen to seaweed, building a momentum.

The £17 million project will deliver an innovation centre featuring offices and workshops.  Crucially, this will provide a focus for floating offshore wind, and strengthen other clean maritime needs, from delivery of the National Shipbuilding Strategy through to boosting research and development opportunities for aquaculture, in particular the burgeoning seaweed bi-product markets.  The objective is to deliver, and ensure the wider benefits are felt across the economy- from school curriculum to attracting community benefit investments through to opening up further economic development land and enabling green industries to then manufacture locally.

The project

The Hub is a building the community is proud of, creating a hive of activity – from a café to library, nursery, GP surgery plus a plethora of voluntary sector organisations and businesses.  The project has transformed the council’s headquarters into a vibrant building which is now fully occupied.  The Community Hub is a modern, energy efficient building providing workspace for the council and 28 partners across public, private and NHS sectors allowing greater integration of services.  It has received the iESE Gold Award in the public sector building category.  The council building refurbishment cost was estimated at £4 million.  Taking a commercial approach, it uses new revenue income to offset the £10 million construction cost.

The Community Hub is the most complex and expensive project in the council’s history. It secures the council headquarters future, improves local services, is cost neutral to the taxpayer, reduces environmental impact, creates new income for the council and enables local businesses to grow.  When considering the wider One Public Estate in the community, this project created new land for housing, reduced public sector running costs, and generated capital receipts.

When designing this project, rather than only inwardly facing into the council’s own building and services requirements, the council looked wider to include broader community needs.  Working with partners the team enabled the Police, NHS and county council estate teams to review, align and reconfigure their asset strategies.  The opportunity for greater co-location and service integration was apparent.  Bringing primary care, mental health, social care, children’s, police, and housing and benefits teams together has provided officers greater ability to meet and discuss families’ needs.  This project sets a new standard for public sector delivery, rather than partners being dispersed across multiple buildings.

It was agreed that for this project the council would finance the capital and operate as landlord across all organisations, on the basis that rents covered borrowing.  This has meant the council has capitalised the whole project and funded a GP surgery, NHS trust, private nursery, police base and library.  This innovative approach was complex to manage and implement with so many partners, so the council appointed a project manager throughout to ensure all partners design needs were met and the business case stood up to scrutiny.

Effective and consistent communication were key to the successful delivery of the project with weekly news and information going out throughout the project to councillors, staff, partners, and local community.

The benefits

For staff and councillors, office space has seen the removal of cellular offices, creating an environment where teams, councillors and partners work together in new collaborative social spaces, including pods and break-out areas.  The emphasis is now very much focused on social space, rather than the traditional ‘9:00 to 5:00’ workstations.  Inside, the community space feels more like a hotel lobby than a council building, providing a universal community space for an array of uses, centralised around a café. For the local community, Codsall Community Hub is a place to learn, work, access services, eat and socialise.

The building has become a true community space, centred around an open plan atrium with facilities resembling a hotel lobby. In addition, a new Changing Places facility has been installed, further improving accessibility.

The new building is a space that staff and councillors are proud of.  During a forum for staff, the council leader and chief executive commented on how amazing the building now looks. Both staff and members’ feedback on the new space has really built a sense of pride across the organisation, especially given it was delivered throughout the pandemic. Across the public estate this project sees eight buildings condensed into one; significantly reducing taxpayer spend by at least £905,000 in running costs over 10 years. In addition, land released created sites for 25 new houses and capital receipts have come in at £1.25 million.

The council has generated over £750,000 a year in new revenue income, offsetting the project’s capital borrowing.  Over the past 12 months the Hub team has secured new leases valued at £5.7 million.  The impact of this new income on the relatively small district of South Staffordshire is an outstanding achievement and a testament to the new commercial culture embedded across the council.  The new income is concurrent with the original business plan, though at times it proved challenging to achieve; with some partners needing to review and amend their space needs during the pandemic.

This project has reduced the council’s carbon footprint by significantly reducing its use of fossil fuels and replacing with green alternatives, helping reduce overall CO₂ emissions by 25% to date.

The entrepreneurial approach towards this project is maximising the building’s financial potential, while at the same time improving services for the local community. The Community Hub not only creates an ideal environment for local business to grow, but it also creates a central location for specialist teams from across the public, health, private and voluntary sectors who are co-located in a modern, agile environment.

By reducing the amount of council office space, the council’s Business Hub has been expanded, providing high-quality serviced accommodation.  New serviced offices now have a range of paying tenants from private and voluntary sectors across 20 additional rooms.  This includes Citizens Advice, Barclays Bank, architects, accountants and a whole host more.

The council is sharing the learning with other authorities now embarking on similar projects.

The project

The council is working in partnership with six other local authorities, as part of the Greater Brighton Economic Board, to deliver an insulation and renewable energy programme for 40,000 social homes across their areas. The cross-sector Housing Retrofit Taskforce established in 2021, with partners investing £300,000, will work to unlock the path for local homes to be zero carbon by 2030.

The ‘Lewes’ model empowers local supply chains to encourage economic growth and upskilling, bringing together whole carbon and retrofit experts, alongside universities and partners from all tiers of local government. The taskforce has the overarching objective to future proof the region’s homes.

In turn, it will chart how social housing and public sector buildings can be improved at scale across the region while boosting new skills, quality ‘green-collar’ jobs, and investment in low carbon industries. The partners’ councils agreed to tap into a £1 billion housing repairs and maintenance budget for council-owned social housing to decarbonise these homes.

The taskforce has, in response to the cost-of-living crisis, identified the need to target fuel costs at the same time as developing the supply chain for retrofit. However, the costs of deep retrofit rising steadily alongside inflation has indicated a funding gap in local Housing Revenue Account accounts.

The Benefits

The taskforce has now undertaken its initial research. This proved the premise of the collaboration that by leveraging council budgets alongside long-term collaboration, is the optimal manner to deliver long-term retrofit planning.

The partnership will now move into design and mobilisation of the programme, seeking grant funding from central government ready to deliver zero carbon homes by 2030.

This collaboration will deliver mass retrofitting in the fact of stop-start funding for retrofitting of private homes and social housing. By kickstarting the market through their own housing stock, this will develop the skills and market required to deliver a comprehensive retrofitting programme to all homes in their area.

Particularly for the rural districts in the partnership, this will act as an invaluable lever to encouraging green local economic growth.  By focusing on their local economies, these councils will be able deliver retrofitting at a cheaper cost for all private households seeking to improve energy efficiency.

The project

The Coastal Partners have designed and implemented the UK’s first large-scale “Ecoformliner” at the North Portsea Island Coastal Defence Scheme.  The innovative design was developed to create a textured finish on concrete seawalls to create a unique environment that allows plants and animals to colonise the wall, adding to biodiversity and habitat creation in an area that would otherwise not be suitable.  It also improves the resilience of the wall.  As marine vegetation colonises the wall it helps to reduce salt ingress and egress by retaining a constant surface temperature and moisture during low tides.  This process helps to counter weather-related deterioration, providing greater resilience and longevity.

The Ecoformliner mould is reusable so can be used numerous times increasing efficiencies in construction.  The innovative design with its repeatable pattern can also be adapted to be used along the entire 2km length but can also be adapted to be used on other projects.

The benefits

Construction of the sea wall commenced in April 2021 and will take a number of years to complete.  Not only will the overall flood defence scheme will protect the community with over 4,200 homes, just under 500 commercial properties, arterial roads, scheduled monuments, a primary rail route, 89 substations, properties, and schools from coastal flooding over the next 100 years.  At the same time, it will also improve the environment.  This unique approach will enhance the habitat potential for 2km of seawall which would otherwise have been inhospitable.  This award-winning Ecoformliner has been designed, so that the texturing covers the whole wall to allow the species to move with sea level rise.

The project

The town of Whitehill & Bordon is being transformed through regeneration into a green, healthy, and connected town. East Hampshire District Council’s (EHDC) Green Loop and Wayfinding project is a major multi-partner piece of green infrastructure which will deliver an accessible seven kilometre walking and cycling route to encircle and connect the new and existing town. It will encourage active travel, health and wellbeing, travel to work, leisure, residential areas and green spaces whilst protecting the surrounding natural environment.

Wayfinding elements such as map totems, benches, and blocks enable rest and play, were co-created with local people to foster a sense of belonging to their greenspaces, encouraging them to get outdoors and travel actively.  Through public engagement, areas of interest, ‘Diamond Moments,’ have been created to animate the loop, which has been filmed via drone to show local people how user-friendly it is. Together, they are a key to encouraging residents and visitors to choose active travel in and around the town.

The council also launched the Betterpoints app alongside the Green Loop. This app is for residents to use to motivate people to adopt healthy and sustainable behaviours with points rewards for healthy activities.

The success of the Green Loop is down to multi-disciplinary partnership working, early masterplanning and engagement. The council worked with public health teams, the Local Enterprise Partnership, Hampshire County Council, consultants, developers, residents, community groups and schools to create green infrastructure that delivers shared needs and is used and enjoyed by residents regularly.

The benefits

Whitehill and Selborne (where the Green Loop is located) is one of the five most vulnerable areas for mental health and wellbeing in East Hampshire district.  The Green Loop and Wayfinding project contributes to improving quality of place, economic social and wellbeing. Residents have benefited from this innovation in areas such as improving mental and physical health by:

Providing easy to access green space and community orchards.

Making it easier for residents, including wheelchair users, to travel actively, by connecting new and existing areas of town and improving navigation around town.

Improving air quality through reduced car use.

Making walking and cycling enjoyable.

The Green Loop is delivering good value for money. It has an economic value anticipated to generate 692 walking and 260 cycling trips per day, which provides a saving of £4.3 million – using the Value of Statistic Life Economic Tool.  The Green Loop goes beyond just planning for a green infrastructure. It is part of complex £1 billion, multi-partner, 15-year collaborative and transformational place-making programme.

By delivering an accessible, walking and cycling route which encircles and connects the new and existing town, the council is encouraging active travel between employment, leisure, residential areas and green spaces. This best practice will be used to support the council’s Local Cycling & Walking Infrastructure Plans across the rest of the district in the future.

The project shows how councils can tackle the challenges of reducing carbon emissions and health inequalities to level up left behind communities.